NS Roanoke building earns ENERGY STAR certification

Norfolk Southern’s office building at 110 Franklin Road SE in Roanoke has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35% less energy than typical buildings and release 35% less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Norfolk Southern improved its energy performance by managing energy strategically across its entire 22-state system and by making cost-effective improvements to its building. “Improving the energy efficiency of our nation’s buildings is critical to protecting our environment,” said Jean Lupinacci, Chief of the ENERGY STAR Commercial & Industrial Branch. “From the boiler room to the board room, Norfolk Southern is leading the way by making its buildings more efficient and earning EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification.”

To earn ENERGY STAR, Norfolk Southern used real-time metering to monitor electricity usage. Monitoring at 15-minute intervals allowed the company to chase after the last watt of wasted electricity. NS reanalyzed the building automation system to verify set points and startup/shutdown times so the building wasn’t running when no one needed it. It installed a new independent HVAC system for off-hour building use; upgraded exterior lights to LEDs; and replaced stairwell lights with on-demand LEDs.

“With these energy reduction techniques, we are able to save more than $60,000 a year at the Franklin Building alone,” NS said “EPA’s ENERGY STAR energy performance scale helps us assess how efficiently our buildings use energy relative to similar buildings nationwide. A building that scores a 75 or higher on EPA’s 1-100 scale might be eligible for ENERGY STAR certification. Energy Star is a pre-requisite for a building to become LEED certified under the United States Green Building Councils (USGBC) existing building program.”

"Norfolk Southern is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Manager-Energy Services Andy Paul. "This demonstrates our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs. ENERGY STAR is a great tool to compare our building performance with our peers. This inspired us to do what we can to achieve the triple bottom line—planet, people, and profit. We are proud of this accomplishment and excited about similar work across our network.”

ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different kinds of products, 1.4 million new homes, and 20,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants that meet strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the EPA. Over the past 20 years, the EPA says, “American families and businesses have saved more than $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions with help from ENERGY STAR.”